Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz came together to bring out bluff from the Mercedes F1 team. The duo talked about the German team’s way of sharing “comments” that are extremely contrasting to their on-track performance.
Alonso and Sainz called out the bluff by Mercedes after the qualifying session was over. The Spanish duo said during the interview that the Brackley-based team has a quick car.
Alonso: “Mercedes have a quick car. If you listen to their comments, it sounds like they have a car that goes out in Q1, but they are quick.”
Carlos: “I agree.” pic.twitter.com/bPTOWTRYKn
— Aston Martin F1 updates (@startonpole) April 1, 2023
But the team doesn’t talk like they have one. The Aston Martin driver added that the way Lewis Hamilton’s team makes comments to the public makes them look like the W-14s are vulnerable enough to go out in Q1.
But the Mercedes challengers are quick, he further added. To which the Ferrari driver agreed. Admittedly, Mercedes pulled off a brilliant qualifying performance in Melbourne.
They finished the Q3 in P2 and P3 respectively, with George Russell out-qualifying his teammate Hamilton once again. However, the on-track performance was far off from their off-track antics, where they seem to be worried about losing out to the competition.
How did Alonso’s team fare in Australia?
For the first time in three races, Aston Martin isn’t the second-best team on the grid after Red Bull. As Mercedes replaced them with P2 and P3, Alonso could only salvage P4 for his team, proving his prophecy almost right.
Additionally, the Spanish driver’s teammate, Lance Stroll, finished Q3 in P6. The 41-year-old was four-tenths to pole sitter Max Verstappen, and Stroll was five-tenth behind.
What an effort! 💪
The boys will line up in P4 and P6 for the #AusGP. Race day can’t come soon enough. pic.twitter.com/yGLX3Mi54q
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) April 1, 2023
Alonso posted 1:17.139 on the timesheet, while Stroll had 1:17.308. Compared to them, the best Mercedes had 1:16.698 and the best Ferrari had 1:17.270.
No improvement from Ferrari
The woes continue for Scuderia Ferrari. After failing to make a mark in the opening race in Bahrain and then in Jeddah, Melbourne’s qualification was once again not up to the mark for them.
Currently, the fourth-best team on the grid, the Italian team, is far away from their targeted position. Interestingly, last year the Prancing Horse was the fastest team at Albert Park with Charles Leclerc as the pole sitter.
But this time, it’s entirely different. Sainz and Leclerc managed to hold on to a mere P5 and P7 in the timesheet. While the Spaniard was five-tenth to the Red Bull, his Monegasque teammate was six-tenth behind.
